Two Years
by silverpaint
Summary: Affection takes a long time to come about. ToT, Candace x Julius.
1. Remember

Don't own.

**Warnings**: This story will be **slightly AU**. It will focus solely on **Candace** and **Julius**.

**Candace's POV**.

* * *

Forever Remember

1 - Remember

* * *

As I did every day, I sat at the table, sewing. This time I was fixing Anissa's purple turtleneck jumper, which had been ripped while she was working on her family's farm.

The ice from Winter was thawing, and the plants were beginning to come back into life. It was Spring. Soon, the flowers would be blooming. They would look especially pretty with the three new rainbows glowing in the sky above them.

Luna floated into the room. "Candace, someone new has come to the island. Apparently, they're a blacksmith or something." she says simply.

"… Thank you." I replied.

Luna returned to haunt the colourful racks of clothes, and I grew tired of sewing and timidly went outside.

I smiled as I rested my hands on the handrail, and the cool wind blew past me. Calmly, I let my thoughts go, and focused on the sea, the sky and the smell of salt on the air.

My calmness is shattered by a deep, calling voice.

"Hey there! You haven't changed a bit, have you, Candace?"

I whirled around with a blush. I saw before a blur of flamboyant colour, which then sorted itself out into a human girl.

She had stunningly bright, waist-length purple hair, streaked with yellow and green, which was complimented by sparkling red eyes, lined with purple eye shadow. There was various other make-up on her face, completed by jingling earrings.

Her outfit was a red jacket, lined with white frills, black tank top, a skirt decorated with peacock feathers, black jeans and yellow boots with a red belt through the top of each one.

I had never seen her before.

"Wh-Who are you…?" I whispered, extremely shy as always.

The 'girl' laughed, and I realised that this was _not _a girl. He ran a hand through his hair and replied, "I'm Julius! We used to play together when we were kids! Don't you remember my fabulous hair?"

The new blacksmith… I realised. Hang on… fabulous? That phrase brought up memories… most of them quite painful. But the purple-haired person in those memories had been named _Juli_ and had been a _girl… _I was quite confused.

"Wait… Were you that… mean girl…?" I asked.

He laughed. "Hee hee, you thought I was a girl?" he lightly teased. "Oh, you're so silly! 3"

I was silent. Had 'she' come back, just to torment me again? I silently questioned myself. In a flash, Luna's pounding footsteps were heard, and then Luna was in front of me, protecting me. I wished that I could protect my younger sister sometimes, instead of letting Luna protect both of us.

"Hey! Are you that mean girl who used to call my sister ugly?" Luna yelled, her hands on her hips.

I flinched. Luna had hit on a sensitive subject. I ran away. I was a coward when I was younger, I thought, and I'm still a coward now.

Even while in the garden, I could still hear what they were saying.

"What?" exclaimed Julius. "Uh, erm, I mean… That MIGHT have happened… I might remember it… vaguely…"

Luna grew angrier. "You're nothing a bully!" she declared. "My sister became all shy and withdrawn and it's all because of YOU!"

Oh Sister… everyone can hear you, I thought. I slowly sat down on the velvet green grass. Everyone… Even though I hardly speak, I care about what people think of me…

"What's your excuse? Spit it out!" Luna shouted at the red-eyed fashiontina.

Upon hearing his next answer, I blushed. "… W-Well young boys usually tease girls they like!"

This explanation only seemed to serve to make Luna angrier. "That's no excuse! You hurt Candace's feelings, so you'd better make up for what you did!" Luna yelled.

"H-How?" the fashiontina replied.

"Hm… Well, what's the one thing you're good at?" Luna asked in typical Luna fashion.

"Th-That's… blackmail!" he said, scandalised.

"Well then, go away and don't come back!" Luna retorted.

"Okay, then… I will!" he snapped, and turned, storming off.

Luna crossed her arms. "Hmph!"

Luna knew exactly where to find me. "Hey, Candace, are you okay?" she asked. I nodded. "Fine. I'll be in the store." She walked away.

I rested my head against the fence. It was truly a good day, but now it wasn't quite as nice as it had been before. Maybe I should go to the Church. Praying for a while would clear my head.

Strolling along the path, everything seemed to be brighter, when I wasn't thinking about what happened just now. Maya waved to me from the Sundae Inn window; I was surprised she even noticed me, but then again, Maya was a sweet person. I waved back.

Soon, I was at the Church. The coloured light glimmered on the floor and against the wood, sparkling different shades of blue and green. As the calming aura that hung around the building washed over me, I felt utterly at peace.

Softly smiling, I knelt down in one of the pews, and prayed to Goddess, silently leaking all my dreams and worries to her.

* * *

It was getting late. The dancing lights that shone through the glass were getting a distinctly red tinge to them. I slowly stood up, and began walking home.

Everything seemed more softer in the fading sunlight. The natural light slowly stopping falling on Waffle Town, and it's inhabitants lit up their windows with unnatural light. I quietly opened the front door of my house and slipped in.

"Hello, Candace." Shelly called out. "Dinner's ready."

I quietly eat dinner with Shelly and Luna gossiping - well, more like Shelly gossiping and Luna scorning - and watch them from the sidelines.

The rest of the fading day goes quickly, and I soon slide into bed, pulling the bed sheets over my head. I fall into a soothing, dreamless sleep, where nothing can hurt me, because I am not there.

* * *

A/N: I'll update as soon as I have the next chapter finished. There will be 100 chapters.


	2. Girl

**Forever Remember**

**2 - Girl**

This chapter is dedicated to the lovely Cherry3456, my first reviewer and alerter! Thank you!

Don't own.

* * *

The morning light dimly shone though the closed curtains, and my eyelids fluttered as I woke up. Pushing back the navy covers, I padded over to Luna's bed - whose room I shared - and gently shook her awake. Her pink hair spread out over the pillow, as her blue eyes opened, closing again at the sudden light.

We both dressed and brushed our hair, Luna frowning as the position of the flowers wasn't quite right. We both went down to the kitchen, Luna thundering, and me walking quietly behind. I made breakfast for us, as Luna complained about the how the Mayor ran Waffle Town. Shelly came down a little later than usual. She was getting old. I didn't like that.

We had simple food for breakfast, just cereal and tea, because I wasn't a particularly good cook. Luna had now moved on to complaining about how the Mayor's son probably was just like him, and I softly smiled. Luna hadn't ever met the Mayor's son, as far as I knew.

After we finished eating, I washed the dishes, while Shelly went to look at the new clothes, and decide which ones to put at the front, and which to put at the back and Luna thought up new ways to sell clothes.

I dried my hands after finishing, and quietly walked to the front door and opening it, only to find that it was heavily raining. The grass was splattered dark green, and the sky was stormy-grey.

Rain makes flowers grow, I thought as I closed the door, and retreated to the back room to sow.

As I finished Anissa's turtleneck jumper, and started on a Urban: Purple, using the sowing machine, my thoughts unintentionally turned to Julius. Or, Juli, as I thought he was called…

_A young blue-haired child walked calmly down the street with a pink-haired girl beside her. _

_The blue-haired child had dark blue eyes and light blue hair, brushing her shoulders. She wore a plain light blue dress. The pink-haired child had very short pink hair, cut like a boy's with lazy light blue eyes. She wore a pink dress with a few bits of lace on it._

_It was a nice day. The sun shined down, and the sky was clear blue with no hints of clouds. But, the blue-haired child walked towards the Town Hall, while the pink haired child complained at her side._

"_Aw, why do we haff to go dere? I don' like it, I don' like it!" the pink-haired child._

_The blue-haired child merely laughed. It was forced._

_Suddenly, a purple-haired child ran straight in front of them, skidding a little. _

_The purple-haired child had short purple hair, cut like a boy's, feminine features and sparkling red eyes. She wore a baggy red coat that hid what she was wearing underneath. _

"_Hey, ugly!" yelled the girl. She had a surprisingly high voice. "Why are you coming to school? You're too ugly to come!"_

_The blue-haired child suddenly became very quiet. She had a hurt look in her eyes and her shoulders slumped in defeat. The pink-haired child stood innocently by her side, not understanding what was going on._

I broke out of my daydream. I shouldn't think about the past, I told myself, and started focusing on my sewing.

However, even while I concentrated on my sewing, a sneaky thought invaded my mind; Would Julius have changed from then?

Probably not would be Luna's answer. My answer? … I didn't know. I hadn't seen 'her' in around ten years. I didn't know if 'she' had changed, or not.

I wisely decided not to dwell on it.

The creak of the front door alerted me to a customer's presence. I heard voices and heavy footsteps, and quickly, the footsteps came towards this room. I stared at the door in surprise.

The old wooden door opened to reveal the soaked Caramel River farmer. All I really knew about him that ever since he had came here, good things had been happening.

He smiled. "Hello, Candace!" he said cheerfully, flinging off a few drops of rain.

"Oh, … uh, hello, … Kevin?" I remembered, head lowered. He didn't usually come to see me, or anyone else in the Tailor Shop. Sometimes, he would bring a gift for Luna, or work for a few G under Shelly.

He nodded. "I just came by to see if you were alright. I saw that whole thing with that new guy, Julius, yesterday."

I blushed. "Oh… you saw that?…. I'm alright. …" I nervously replied.

He looked at me. "Are you sure?" He said suspiciously.

I nodded.

"That's good. Well, if you ever need anything, come by my farm!" he said, and happily left.

The day wore on, and I worked undisturbed, this time, by memories or concerned acquaintances. The rain beat ever harder down on Waffle Island, making even the seasoned farmers retreat indoors.

A sharp knock at the door broke my concentration.

"Candace!" Luna said, as she walked up next to the sewing machine. "Dinner's ready. Come on already, do you _want _the food to rot before we get there?"

I softly laughed and followed her to the wooden table. It was painted a light pastel purple. For dinner, we had Apple Pie and Hot Cocoa from the Sundae Inn. It was a combination we all loved.

* * *

The day went by too soon. I slid into bed pulling the covers over my head, as I did every night, and let the lullaby sounds of thunder and lightening rock me to sleep.

This time, my sleep was not dreamless.

_The winds calmly blew. The smell of salt was fresh in the air and there was grey clouds in the sky, although you could still see blue. _

_A young purple-haired child, maybe about twelve or thirteen years old stood at the dock. A women, with darker purple hair and a tired expression stood behind him. _

"_Juli, do you really need to go?" she asked._

_The child scowled and nodded. "Of course I do, Mira. There's no life in this island. The only way I'll learn about fashion is by going to the city."_

_Mira sighed. "I suppose nothing I say will sway your decision."_

_Juli nodded. "Yep."_

_As the child boarded a ferry, a blue-haired child looked on._

In the morning, I did not remember that dream.


	3. Long

Two Years

3 - Long

Don't own.

This chapter is dedicated to Emo Cowboy, my second alerter! Thank you!

* * *

A few days had passed since then. Luna had stuck upon a brilliant idea; sell hats with precious stones in them. Not too precious though; just peridot and amber - low level stones like them.

"Candace!"

Luna's voice called after me as I walked past the Sundae Inn. I halted, and turned, waiting for her to catch up. She did, gasping, and muttering something about how she shouldn't stay in the store all day.

I smiled down at her. "Wh-What do you need, Luna?"

She straightened up and replied, "Shelly wants you to get Garnet and Moonlight Stones as well, okay?"

"Okay…." I replied, writing it down on a piece of paper I held in my hand.

To make hats, we needed the stones. Unfortunately, none of us were miners, so we had to get our stones from the blacksmith's. When we received our order, a few days later, we would pay for the stones.

Simple.

I turned into Ganache Mine, and as I walked, the tree leaves swayed above me. Pushing the heavy wooden door open, I stepped into the Blacksmith's Shop.

And there, none other, at the counter was Julius, with his long purple hair whispering against the counter, as he leaned on it. Then, upon seeing me, he beamed, and shot upright, red eyes brightening.

It was slightly awkward, as Julius just stared at me, and Ramsey just looked away from us both. Mira was in the back room.

"… So then, what do you need ~ ?" said Julius cheerfully, in that strangely deep voice..

"… Could, I-I have… the items o-on this list, p-please?" I asked, shyly.

"Oh, yes, of course ~. *heart*" answered Julius, taking the list from my fingers and scanning it over.

"Hmm, peridot, yes… rose, amber… garnet… and moonlight." He grinned.

He looked at me and smiled. "We'll have this for you on the…" He stopped and thought. "Twenty-first, 'kay ~ !"

"Th-Thank you…." I shyly replied.

"You're welcome! Please, please come again ~!" He declared, beaming.

I quickly left the store, and he brightly waved to me as I left. The sun shone down as I took the path through Kevin's farm, and down through Caramel River District. The river glistened in the sunlight, and the trees bore bright green foliage.

I walked down the twisting, lonely path that led to Waffle Town. No one was around, because more people prefer the main path to Waffle Town. I like the silence.

Then, as I approached Waffle Town, I heard the usual sounds, but also something that sounded like two people shouting. One of the voices was distinctly deep and masculine, while the other sounded like a female. As I came even closer, I realised one of them was Luna. I walked quicker.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I'M UNDER AGE!"

"WELL, YOU ARE SEVEN YEARS OLD!"

"YOU ARRONGT LITTLE TOERAG!"

"YOU ANNOYING LITTLE BRAT!"

I hurried into Waffle Town, almost running up the steps to the Town Square. The beautiful tulips, slightly frosty, were laid out in straight formation, but nobody noticed them next to the two adults arguing in the middle of the square.

One of the adults was fairly tall, had platinum blond hair (with a cowlick), and lazy cold blue eyes. He wore a blue sweater neck with a lighter blue shirt underneath, tartan shorts and sensible shoes.

The other one looked remarkably like a child, but anyone who had ever spoken to her, or knew her well, knew that she was not a child, and would take great offence if you assumed she was. She wore a light pink ruffled dress and little-girl shoes, had her candyfloss hair styled into two spirals with fake flowers randomly decorating them. Her lazy blue eyes were wide with anger.

She was just opening her mouth to retort back, when I reached there, and slowly approached her.

"Luna…." I murmured.

She whipped her head and around and looked at me. She paused, then stomped down the steps, back into Waffle Town. I quietly followed her. Upon reaching our home, she flung open the door, it slamming against the wall.

She immediately ran up to her room, and Shelly looked up in surprise, staring.

"What happened?" Shelly asked, tilting her head.

"I'm not sure." I replied, truthfully.

"You can have the rest of the day off." Shelly offered.

"Thank you, Grandmother." I thanked her.

I retreated into the back room, to curl up on the sofa and read a book. The hours passed by as I read. The book was a bittersweet story, about a elf and dwarf falling in love. Unfortunately, it was not to be for them, and the dwarf was engaged to someone else. I had just got to the bit where the elf was leaving the village when Shelly called for dinner.

Dinner was a awkward affair, with Luna glaring angrily at her plate, Shelly silent, and me just watching them. After dinner was finished, I washed the plates, and took a shower.

* * *

I sat on my navy-coloured bed, lights clicked on. Luna was downstairs. She seemed to have cooled off. I was in my pyjamas. They were light blue, and felt like silk, although they were not. I brushed my still-wet blue hair, slowly.

I glanced out the window. The sky was dark now, although it wasn't black. I softly smiled, as I realised that Winter was truly behind us, until the end of Fall.

I let my thoughts wander to Luna. There were only a few times I had seen her that riled up, and for that long. How was the Mayor's son, Gill, able to do that, so easily? There was something different about him when it came to Luna.

I prayed to the Harvest Goddess before I slid into the covers. I prayed for what I usually did; peace, happiness, for Luna and Shelly to be alright, and for everyone to get along.

I sank slowly into a smooth sleep, and I barely registered Luna walking into the room, and lying down.

In my dreams, the elf from my book travelled across the lands. She stopped for a moment and raised her head, long hair blowing in the wind. She hadn't cried when she had had to leave the village. She had simply accepted, as if she knew the world hated her, and had always hated her.

I fervently wished I could be as strong as that.


End file.
